Halat-i Asad Beg 1.1

1.1

This least of the servants of Allah, Asad, son of Muhammad Murad, has written the following: When the auspicious life of the most learned Nawab, Shaikh Abu-l Fazl, son of Shaikh Mubarak, came to a close, and that most excellent of the men of genius of his age and most rare one of his time was killed at Sarai Barar, a dependency of Sironj, at prayer time on Friday, the 7th of Rabi’u-l awwal, in the year 1010, and when the news of that dire calamity and dreadful event reached that shadow of God, the Emperor Akbar, he was extremely grieved, disconsolate, distressed, and full of lamentation. That day and night he neither shaved, as usual, nor took opium, but spent his time in weeping and lamenting. It was then that the love of that Emperor of the world shone forth; for in the midst of his distressing grief and uneasiness, he thought of the author of these lines, and said to those around him, “What has become of Asad?” They, not knowing what had happened to this broken-winged one, could not answer. Just then Mirza Ja’far Asaf Khan came in, and could not refrain from weeping, on seeing his sovereign in the depths of grief and sorrow. His lord asked him what news he had of Asad? whether he was with Abu-l Fazl, or not?